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Probably, the best documentary I have seen on any channel this year. Outstanding stuff. Well done, Rankin. And thank you Life.

What a fabulous programme - thank you :)

Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Excellent work Rankin, and there's me thinking you were just a celeb snapper you big softie! ;-) Bit gutted not to see Tim Page in there but what a fabulous portrait of a truly legendary magazine.

Great show and some brilliant photography !

Brilliant documentary, very inspirational. More documentaries with Rankin please!!

Really enjoyed the programme. What absolutely spoiled it for me though was the voiceover at the end blotting out the Frank Sinatra 'That's Life' song with an inane announcement about an upcoming programme. Totally spoilt the overall atmosphere. In fact, I was so cross it didn't even register what was being announced. Will the Ö÷²¥´óÐã stop constantly spoiling programmes like this. It would have been more impactive if the announcement had followed the end of the programme.

Very interesting programme, I am a photography student just learning about photojournalism of the twentieth century and I thought the whole story was amazing and the photographers mentioned are heroes with the work that they did. It is a great shame that, like mentioned in the programme, some do not longer shoot. Very good programme!

Truely great film making and a wonderful subject matter.

Makes me want to get one of the Life books for Xmas.
Darn it, I'm going to get one! Anyone know which one would best cover the programmes theme of essays?

Huge thank you for all the hard work and effort in putting together an amazing documentary and a truly inspirational piece of work.

Fantastic! So many iconic images, brilliant photographers and insightful interviews. An hour was too short, what about a series? R.I.P. Life - long live Rankin!

Brilliant,loved the show. I love your boyish enthusiasm for photography.What was the name of the photographer with the massive studio, Burt I think. I need to check out more of his work.

Hi Rankin, how are you.
Loved seeing this documentary, Like yourself I was inspired to pick up a camera after seeing images from old copies of life and being aware of Magnum.
Its interesting to think that Life magazine has not been published in such a long time yet the Photography courses around the UK have been full to bursting in well over a Decade. So in my mind the medium is alive and well. Its just a pity that there isn't a magazine dedicated to reportage and photo essays. Maybe an avenue for Waddle publishing? There is a real wealth of image makers on these shores but most people don't have an avenue for their talents or perspectives. In my opinion it would be a homage to those who have inspired us to keep their dreams, and passions alive. There is nothing like picking up a book or magazine that is full of amazing images to inspire and fire ones imagination. To convey so much in one shot or over a few shots with each photo able to stand alone is an amazing thing and the reason why Photography is so powerful. Thanks Ö÷²¥´óÐã and Rankin for keeping the ideas alive and paying respect to those who tried to show us the world. Thanks for bringing information to a new generation waiting for inspiration.

This was an incredible documentary, I'm afraid that my generation won't see such talent...

Life mag was more than photojournalism it's a social document recording events in history in which the photographers captured and immortalized images future generations.

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Rankin! What a great documentary! I love the USA & I'm really enjoying the All American season.

Mesmerising programme from start to finish. Thank you Rankin

Wow, a truly inspirational programme. Thank you so much Ö÷²¥´óÐã4 and Rankin for your wonderful documentary. You have done Life magazine justice and given us an insight into the characters behind those iconic photographs.
I have just started taking photos (at the ripe old age of 50!) and am lucky enough to have experienced both small town America and New York and you captured the spirit of Life magazine and of the 'All American Dream' as only a Brit can!
Wish there were more programmes like this. Thank you again :)

I thought this was a fantastic insight into one of the most
iconic parts of social history.As well as photographic history
that i have seen for some time.It went into great depth not
only for photographic journalism but for people.Who are interested
in social history to.Very well thought out. Very interesting piece
of work well done Rankin.

I have been waiting for a documentry on LIFE magazine for years and this could not have been better. Have been a great fan of LIFE buying all the books and the magazine when it started up again in the 80s until it folded again in 2000. Our hall way has 18 framed covers from the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Thanks Rankin

As a Budding photographer working on my diploma, i have found this documentary truly inspiring. Rankin covered all of what i enjoy, especially the war photography, and his duplicate of the famous photo in times square captured the same feelings as the original from after the second world war! thank you!

Really one of the great documentaries, it managed to get right inside the men who made the still photograph create emotions, an art all of its own. Rankin was the perfect choice, he was able to communicate with the photographers in their own language. Congratulations to all concerned, how about the book of the film?
Stuart Hetherington FBKS.

Oh dear, I am in a minority apparently. I found Rankin to be a very banal presenter. His command of the English language doesnt match his photographic skill, although he did have a ready supply of cliches, and he was an uninspired interviewer. More of a goggle eyed fan really. And when he showed some pix of early celebrity photography, he failed to make the connection with the current problems of paparazzi evidenced in the Leveson enquiry. He said nothing about cropping, B&W v colour, composition etc. And when Bill Eppridge took the shot of the dying Bobby Kennedy and the busboy supporting Kennedy looked up ... didnt it occur to either of them that the busboy was thinking, we need a doctor and there's another lensman in the way ... ?
The show could have used a presenter with a bit more intellectual rigour, Howard Jacobson or Tom Sutcliffe perhaps.

One of the best shows I have seen in a long time, just wish it was a series with depth on the photographers, well done Rankin.

Nice work Rankin, for a person that could so easily be a luvvy darling pretentious I find you are down to earth and authentic person who loves and respects life, your visit to the true South Africa while back proved this for me... respect

A total waste of the license fee! I wasn't disappointed by this documentary as I wasn't expecting much. But I did expect some mention of the likes of Andreas Feininger, Margaret Bourke-White, Philippe Halsman, Dirck Halstead (still living), Dorothea Lange, Hansel Mieth, Lee Miller, Gjon Mili, Ralph Morse, Gordon Parks, George Silk, Peter Stackpole and Dmitiri Kessel. These were the real LIFE greats along side Mr Eisenstaedt. So for there to be no mention was more than disappointing. It seems this programme was more a case of interviewing some of the surviving LIFE staff members and letting Mr Rankin "try" his hand at a style of photography which by his own admission isn't his strongest. If you really want to learn about the LIFE photographers start with John Loengard's book The Great LIFE Photographers and then try and find second hand copies of books by the photographers themselves.

After watching this great documentary, I hoofed it over to the 'Life' website, and have spent a happy hour browsing through the photographs. Suddenly, there is context attached to the images. Just terrific. Ta very much x

Excellent. Rankin did a great a great job of paying homage without trying to stand in any of his subject's limelight. A humbled and humbling approach. These guys were heroes, did an amazing job and deserve recognition. I love the fact that many of them were so nonplussed about celebrity. An immersive trip to another era — one which today's culture could probably learn a lot from.

This is why I pay my Ö÷²¥´óÐã Tax (licence). Rankin is so lucky to get to meet some of my heros of photography.

Great stuff, Rankin. I first got into Life when Google announced the "Free" digitised collection on Gooreader. I was hooked and have read every episode and been inspired by the depth and range of the photography within its covers. The programme was worth the license fee.
Cheers Ö÷²¥´óÐã.

I saw the trailer a couple of days after I started an essay on W. Eugene Smith, oh the luck!!! Brilliant! I want to see more programmes like this.

Interesting documentary - most interesting/disturbing moment was about the Bobby Kennedy photo. Some of the music used was quite good; is the information on what songs were used available anywhere?

Absolutely brilliant Documentary. Reminded me of the time I picked up a Capa book in a bookstore. I am now a photographer because of that book>
loved the blunt honesty of the photographers. No entourages for them.
Couldnt help notice the difference in styles ( surely intentional) between Rankin and Burk Uzzle. Assistants and strobes and cutting edge Leica.
Burk in the cheap seats with 30 year old Leica
The only complaint, it was too short.
Could easily have been a mini series.
Would love to see Rankin do a documentary on W Eugene Smith in the future

Loved it! More documentaries like this on photography! Worth every penny of my Ö÷²¥´óÐã licence fee! Well done Rankin Photography and Ö÷²¥´óÐã!

this programme is what the bbc should make more of intresting thought provoking, educating to a degree, some of the photographers I hadn't heard of so something to research, others like Lee Miller, Tim Page I was surprised they were not mentioned ! Overall great programme more pluses than minuses, the American season so far has been good.

What a brilliant programme this was, fantastic work by Rankin and the crew. I love my photography and this really was a superb insight with some brilliant interviews to some of the best photographers and to the daddy of photojournalism! Top stuff Ö÷²¥´óÐã!

As others have said one hour is not enough to cover forty years of work in this magazine. Favourite things, images and photographers are bound to be missing. However being able to talk to some who were there at the time is revealing of many truths.

Whereas more programmes concentrating on photographers would be welcome, perhaps in such a series the British ‘Picture Post’ could be included. It was being published at the same time as Life magazine and also produced some world class photographers.

I enjoyed the programme, but it really skipped over much of the impact Life magazine had during key moments in American life; probably it should have been a series. But not sure I could take an entire series of Rankin presenting. With his 21,000 euro Leica M2 and two assistants, he looked a little ridiculous alongside these American greats (each, who had only one camera and no assistants). Rankin's ego was all too obvious and many of his questions were inane. Surely he should have done more research. And why have a fashion and portraits photographer present a programme about documentary photography? England has many outstanding documentary photographers, who don't have the entourage Rankin seems to require. A for effort, but to me Rankin was out of place and it showed.

Excellent documentary! Interviews very good. A joy to have a knowledgable presenter. More please by Mr Rankin.
Mitch 2 Dec 2011

This was a great documentary and Rankin was brilliant. I am late to photography so some of these photographers are new to me. Although I knew the Life story which has always fascinated me. This is what the Ö÷²¥´óÐã does best. Rankin what about doing a programme on the Vivian Maier story which would be great. Well done Ö÷²¥´óÐã and Rankin only downside? could have been a series of 3 programmes.

Great documentary Ö÷²¥´óÐã4. It could have been a bit longer but I'm thinking it will inspire people to get to the library or the bookshop and discover more. How about something on Picture Post and Bert Hardy?

This was fantastic. I'm a wedding and music photographer and really wish something like Life was around now. What a dream job. But photography is going the way of music, people just take what they can get for free rather than paying for the best now.

What an excellent programme. Being a serious amateur photographer, very inspiring. More please. How about which photographers have influenced particular genres of photography, with one genre each week. It could include photojournalism, landscapes, portraiture, celeb culture incl paparazzi, wildlife, creative. And keep Rankin as the presenter please.

Can anyone tell me what year the picture of the three boys came from? It was featured in the documentary, a picture of three boys with the middle one hugging the others and I think being dragged along. thanks

Great pictures - but I think that more on the formative years of Life would have been interesting to see. I had some questions about the underpinning research as well.
I know that Burk Uzzle's website says he was the youngest photographer under contract to Life at 23, which was quoted in the programme, but I was under the impression that Rex Hardy (google "rex hardy source:life") was their youngest-ever staffer, at 21.

He quit Stanford in his final year (1936) and had several photos of Robert Taylor in the first ever Life issue. His first front cover was on the September 6 1937 issue, and his work appeared foir several years, including photo-essays such as the Haiti one (see in 1937.

This also ties in with his LA Times obituary:


Tony

ps does Rankin have a first name?

Good stuff.....although a number of the photographers could do with their own documentary. Howsabout 'Rankin does W Eugene Smith's Pittsburgh Project'?!

Fantastic show. I particularly loved the bit about Larry Burrows.

Does anyone happen to know the name of that great piano music that starts 13 minutes into the show? I would love to find out! Thanks